LANSDALE- A similar trend was noted among those who walked the halls of North Penn High School on September 15^th, 2015 as eyes diligently analyzed schedules, feet rapidly covered ground to get arrive to class on time, questions were asked regarding room locations, and halls quickly became clogged with traffic. What may seem to be a description of the first day of school actually illustrates North Penn High School’s annual back to school night, which allows parents and guardians to familiarize themselves with their child’s schedule and personally meet their teachers.

Instead of a flood of students carrying backpacks, lunch boxes, and sports gear, North Penn High School welcomed parents and guardians, as they began arriving around 6:30 pm to experience a day in the life of their son or daughter. In addition to administrators, a variety of NPHS clubs and organizations represented students with tri-folds and other materials lined the main entrance’s concourse to offer the guests an opportunity to see how students involve themselves in extracurricular activities.

Upon the sounding of the first bell, announcing the start of first period, parents and guardians eagerly scrambled to arrive on time. Anxious to get to her child’s class, Kim Hein, the mother of a NP graduate and two current NP students, expressed her pleasure with the school and excitement to meet the teachers.

“My oldest daughter graduated from here, and I’m thrilled with North Penn High School,” stated Hein. “I have one child who graduated and two more to go through North Penn.”

However, Hein wasn’t the only parent in attendance with experience regarding the school; Theresa Bannon, mother of four NP graduates and a current senior at NPHS, expressed her admiration toward the educators.

“Honestly, they had some good teachers in elementary and middle school, but [in the] high school, I’ve really come to admire and respect the teachers. I think they’re very passionate about their craft. I’ve seen the kids get excited about learning, and as a parent, that’s exciting.”

Bannon added that her children repeatedly come home from school with such a wealth of knowledge that they end up educating her on topics she hadn’t been familiar with. Expressing the importance of associating each teacher’s face with her child’s stories from school, Bannon explained her excitement to meet the teachers that her daughter would be learning from.

“It’s nice to see the energy of the teachers, because I think they pass that onto the kids. I like to see that face to face,” expressed Bannon.

That energy that Bannon mentioned is exactly what educators like Mr. Alejandro Vidal, Spanish teacher at NPHS, strive for in the classroom. Having fun while learning is a principle that Vidal hoped to illustrate to the parents and guardians in attendance by playing various video samples that his students recently invented, rehearsed, and recorded in class. Additionally, Vidal prepared a power point with information about the class, himself, and ways to get in touch with him. In addition to discussing his excitement to meet his students’ parents, Vidal explained the significance of back to school night from his perspective.

“It means that I can show them I am available not just for them, but also for any questions they may have [and] to keep in touch with them in case they have any concerns about their students,” said Vidal. “If there’s anything I can do to help their kids, I want to make them feel comfortable that they can reach out to me, and I will be happy to help them.”

In order to host a back to school night in which both parties look forward to attending, preparations must be organized and details must be communicated. Mr. Todd Bauer, principal of NPHS, discussed some of these arrangements that took place before Thursday evening, noting that he couldn’t take much credit.

“We prepare in terms of sending out mailings and information to parents, and the teachers take it from there,” stated Bauer. “Mrs. Leach and Mrs. Darde, two ladies in particular that I work with in the main office, they prepare all the paperwork, schedules, and everything for the parents. I just work on logistics and communicating the information to the teachers and parents. Everybody asks me if I’m ready for back to school night, but I just show up, and I talk to people, which I love.”

Expressing a belief similar to that of Bauer’s, Mrs. Judy Turner, assistant principal at NPHS, explained that the role of the administrators proves to be supporting the teachers.

“We just want to support the teachers to make sure they have what they need and welcome the parents to come,” explained Turner. “This is the best night for teachers to get to meet the parents of the kids in their class. As a teacher, this was always my favorite night. I was always so excited to meet the parents and put them together with the students and get to have seven or eight minutes to say how my class would run, it was nice to have their kids, and thank them for raising the kids that they did, because it was always great to have them.”

With the hallways packed with parents and guardians, Mr. Stefan Muller, assistant principal at NPHS, explained that Thursday evening’s back to school night proved to have an outstanding turnout.

“It’s impossible to say how many were really here, and the teachers are the ones who probably have the better barometer as far as if you polled certain teachers and asked around,” said Muller. “They could say this is more or less than normal. The hallways looked packed. I walked from [K-pod] to B-pod, and it was the E-pod, F-pod, and B-pod clog. Everywhere was clogged.”

Muller also went on to discuss the importance of the teachers in back to school night. Although the administrators attend and help facilitate the event, he, along with Bauer and Turner, believes that the event revolves around the teachers, as it allows them the opportunity to connect with the parents of their students.

“This is the teacher’s night,” said Muller. “They are the rock stars of tonight; they are the ones who people want to see.”